The world’s 9 best luxury spas for 2022
Costa Rica
Nestled in the foothills of the Talamanca Mountains, The Well at Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection specializes in the same holistic approach that has made its New York and Connecticut outposts so popular.
This latest offering is tucked in a lush jungle, amid hiking trails and an “energy healing pavilion” that houses a 700-pound crystal.
The holistic wellness center offers immersive treatments like the River Bath, which includes meditation, an hour-long herbal soak and a 90-minute massage. There are also equine therapies, guided-stargazing sessions with celestial readings, and a massive hydrotherapy center with a swimming pool, steam room and saunas.
Switzerland
Part of Geneva’s newly renovated haute hotel, the Guerlain Spa at The Woodward opened in September.
Spread across two opulent floors of the 1901-built building, the spa boasts the longest private indoor swimming pool in the city, a Jacuzzi, steam rooms, saunas, a snow shower, an ice-bucket shower, as well as hot and cold Swedish baths.
Therapists specialize in haute French wellness. Among the most coveted services? The 90-minute Glamour in Geneva, a turbocharged beauty session that includes a back massage, a facial, a manicure, a pedicure and makeup application. Men can book the Woodward Dandy, which combines a facial, a manicure and a foot treatment.
St. Barts
With its adults-only pool and hydrotherapy room, the new Sense spa at Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth exudes beach-chic luxury, while its treatments make use of the resort’s idyllic setting.
Le Morne begins with a hike through the property’s nature reserve, followed by a body wrap with scalp and toning leg massages.
Less intrepid spa goers can indulge with nail treatments, hair styling or the Paradise Found body-scrub wrap, which uses fresh seaweed, kelp bioferment and cold-pressed lemon oil to reduce inflammation and improve circulation.
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Opening this week, the Spa at PGA National Resort was created by Venus Williams’ V Starr design group — the first spa designed by the tennis pro’s firm.
The 40,000-square-foot space features two Himalayan salt rooms (where treatments include meditation to binaural beats), three mineral pools (sprinkled with French and Turkish salts), a classic pink-and-white hair and nail salon, as well as a 1950s-style barbershop.
The spa is still finalizing a robust menu, but highlights include Thai massage, salt therapy, acupuncture specialized for golfers, mud wraps, LED treatments, microneedling, and a facial service for men that targets dry skin and in-grown hair.
Telluride, Colo.
Trekking meets pampering at the new Reset Telluride, opening this spring in the shadow of Colorado’s San Juan mountains.
With a maximum of 18 guests, the ultra-private wellness retreat offers six-night stays full of half-day treks, which are customized to meet individual fitness and mental goals (whether you want to hike competitively or simply unplug your phone and recharge with nature).
Post-adventuring, guests are treated to daily hourlong, in-room massages. The luxe wellness center features high-tech fitness equipment, as well as oxygen-enrichment and IV therapies. In the evening, guests can choose from activities such as cooking classes, guided meditations and sound therapy.
New York City
Aman Spa is set to make a splash on Manhattan’s wellness scene this spring when it arrives inside the much-anticipated Aman New York.
The cult hotel group’s 25,000-square-foot, three-story spa space (designed by Jean-Michel Gathy) is outfitted with two private “spa houses” that boast their own outdoor terraces and hot- and cold-plunge pools, along with seven treatment rooms and suites.
Other wow-worthy amenities include a 65-foot indoor swimming pool with daybeds and firepits; ice fountains; sensory showers; saunas and steam rooms; and a 3,000-square-foot training center equipped with Technogym gear.
Los Angeles
For a city obsessed with privacy, access, celebrity and self-care, there may be no more glamorous getaway than the Four Seasons Beverly Hills’ new Wellness Floor.
Its 10 wellness rooms and four suites are kitted out with Rabbit air-purification systems, lighting said to aid circadian-rhythm regulation, water de-chlorinators, hypoallergenic wood floors, sound machines and guided meditations narrated by Deepak Chopra.
Exercise junkies who prefer not to sweat among the hoi polloi can ensconce themselves in the hotel’s new Private Fitness Suite — a two-hour reservation gives you access to a treadmill, a Hydrow rowing machine, both Peloton and SoulCycle bikes, Alo yoga mats, a medicine ball and weights.
The Maldives
You’ll arrive by seaplane at the new Joali Being Bodufushi island wellness retreat, which organizes its treatments around the pillars of mind, skin, microbiome and energy.
You can take classes led by herbalists, chefs and wellness coaches, immerse yourself in the hydrotherapy hall, or wander down the palm-lined Discovery Sound Path, featuring healing vibrations and sounds.
The resort’s programs range from five days to three weeks and are devoted to various wellness principles: strength and vitality, mental clarity and well-being, hormonal balance, women’s health, digestive and weight rebalance, restorative sleep, and movement and alignment. A la carte offerings include charcoal detox facials, craniosacral therapy and microcurrent anti-aging skin treatments.
Fiji
Set on its own private island in the South Pacific, the new Como Shambhala Retreat at Como Laucala Island is surrounded by postcard-perfect views of turquoise waters, tropical rainforests and volcanic mountains.
The wellness center offers yoga classes as well as facial and body treatments incorporating herbs, spices, flowers, fruits, river stones, mineral crystals and volcanic soil.
There’s also a hot-stone relaxation room and an outdoor bathtub, where the two-hour Como Shambhala Bath combines a dry brush with an exfoliating treatment, followed by a soak and massage.